Raw recap: Survivor Series match starting to feel like an afterthought

November 05, 2012|By Adam Testa

For the past week, many wrestling fans have been excited about the idea of the Survivor Series pay-per-view being headlined by a traditional 10-man Survivor Series main event.

But WWE seemingly couldn't leave well enough alone. After rushing to announce the two teams - led by WWE Champion CM Punk and WWE legend Mick Foley - on last week's episode of Raw, WWE seems to have let its own doubt run rampant and cause major adjustments to the teams and the PPV card as a whole.

Raw opened with a pre-taped segment in which former Intercontinental Champion The Miz walked away from Team Punk. Things would further disintegrate later in the show when Vince McMahon ordered Raw Supervising Manager Vickie Guerrero to book Punk, Ryback and John Cena in a triple threat match at the pay-per-view, taking Punk and Ryback off their respective teams.

Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett were added to the former Team Punk. Barrett replacing Miz is acceptable, especially given his recent issues with Randy Orton, who now may be the de facto leader of the other team in Ryback's absence. Ziggler, now the team captain, seemed poised for a match with Cena, which could have elevated his profile, but now he's thrown into the elimination match for no real rhyme or reason, other than Guerrero picking Punk's replacement.

There's no word on who will replace Ryback on his team's squad.

Fans who were excited for a traditional Survivor Series match to main event the pay-per-view that bears its name can now feel let down, knowing Cena returns to his spot atop the pay-per-view scene to participate in the triple threat match for the WWE Championship. It was likely too novel a concept for the title to not be on the line as a means of making another match more meaningful.

This same triple threat match could have easily been done at the TLC pay-per-view in December to give conclusion to Punk's rivalries with both Cena and Ryback. Unless, of course, the plan is to do a title switch and then give Punk his rematch in TLC and allow whoever would win (presumably Cena) to go to the Royal Rumble and face The Rock.

No matter the thought process, these are things that should have been determined and decided before rushing the announcement of the Survivor Series teams last week. These kinds of rash decisions and on-the-fly changes rub the most loyal of fans the wrong way, and it is a blemish on the WWE's product.

People were genuinely excited for the 10-man eliminator, and while the new lineups don't necessarily take away from the quality of the match, they make it seem far less important in the grand scheme of things.

Survivor Series has become just another stop on the road to WrestleMania in recent years, and it appears that reputation will continue for at least one more. Maybe one day it will be restored to its former glory. It's just a shame that Hell in a Cell can be built around a Hell in a Cell match, Money in the Bank around a Money in the Bank match and TLC around TLC variations, but at Survivor Series, the Survivor Series match becomes a midcard afterthought.